Executive Summary

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John Vellone is a partner in the Toronto office and is a member of the Electricity Markets and IT Groups. He practises corporate/commercial and regulatory law with a focus on energy law and matters relating to the Ontario electricity sector. John specializes in the corporate/commercial and regulatory components of electricity markets and infrastructure revitalization.

John also has a comprehensive technology law practice encompassing the breadth of corporate/commercial matters. He has particular experience drafting and negotiating agreements for hardware, software and information technology services.

John is on the executive of the Natural Resources and Energy Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association, is an executive member of YPE (Young Professionals in Energy) of Toronto, and is a member of the Board of ZooShare Biogas Co-operative Inc. (which is developing a 500kW biogas electricity generation facility at the Toronto Zoo).

John was both a summer student and an articling student at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP before joining the Firm as an associate in 2008.

Representative Work

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Advising the Independent Electricity System Operator (and formerly the Ontario Power Authority) on energy, procurement and commercial law, including drafting and amending procurement documents, long-term power purchase agreements, and shorter-term incentive contracts and advising on ongoing contract management matters, in respect of Province-wide initiatives including the Large Renewable Procurement, the Industrial Electricity Incentive Program, the Hydroelectric Standard Offer Program and the Hydroelectric Contract Initiative.

Advising developers, investors and lenders concerning corporate, commercial and regulatory aspects of power project development for a variety of technologies including natural gas, wind, solar, hydro-electric, biomass, cogeneration, combined heat and power.

Advising clients, including large industrial consumers, generators, transmitters and local distribution utilities, on energy regulatory matters and representing those clients before the Ontario Energy Board in a variety of proceedings, including electricity and gas rate applications, licensing applications and licence amendments, Z-factor applications, and MAADS applications, and before the Independent Electricity System Operator in a variety of proceedings, including compliance proceedings and inquiries.

Advising above clients in respect of review and appeal proceedings before the Ontario Divisional Court and the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Drafting and negotiating major outsourcing and technology agreements for large electrical utilities, hospitals and healthcare-related institutions, including major technology-related acquisitions and supplier arrangements, including custom-developed hardware and software systems; significant IT outsourcing arrangements; and province-wide initiatives in Ontario including in respect of eMPI-WTIS and the Provincial Critical Care Information System.

Author, "CESOP's Fables: Good Things Come To Those Who Wait," BLG's
Energy Markets Bulletin, February 2011, and "A Fresh Start to Clean Energy? The OPA's Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Procurement and Clean Energy Standard Offer Program (CESOP)," January 2011.

Author, "Update on the Green Energy and Green Economy Act," July 2009.

Author, Expert comment on the
Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009: "Impressive steps to reduce delays and uncertainty,"
IPPSO Facto, the Magazine of the Association of Power Producers of Ontario, April 2009 (with Linda Bertoldi).

Author, "Ontario 's Proposed Feed-in-Tariff Prices," March 2009.

Author, "Recent Developments in Energy (Electricity) – Regulatory,"
Lexpert®/ALM Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada and reprinted in the 2009 edition of
The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, 2008 (with Linda Bertoldi and J.M. Rodger).